The Politics of Teacher Professional Development Policy, Research and Practice [Paperback]

The Politics of Teacher Professional Development: Policy, Research and Practiceprovides innovative insights into teachers continuing development and learning in contemporary western contexts. Rather than providing a list of how-tos and must dos, this volume is premised on the understanding that by learning more about the current conditions under which teachers and other educators work and learn, it is possible to understand, and consequently improve, the learning opportunities teachers experience. Teacher professional development is not simply construed as an isolated series of events, such as day-long workshops marking the beginning of each school year or term, or individualistic one-off activities focused on new teaching approaches, curricula or assessment strategies. Rather, through application of sociologist Pierre Bourdieus understanding of social practices as contested, teacher professional development is revealed as a complex social practice which exists as policy, as a research product and process, and as an important part of teachers work. The book reveals how PD as policy, research and teachers work are inherently contested. An extended series of case studies of teacher professional development practices from Canada, England and Australia are employed to show how these tensions play out in complex ways in policy and practice.

1. Introduction: Professional Development in Context, and as Contest  Part I: Professional Development as Policy and Research  2. Educational Policy, Politics and Professional Development  3. Professional Development as Research: From Process to Product?  Part II: Professional Development in Practice  4. Professional Development in Practice: PD as Teachers Work  5. Professional Development in Practice: PD in Australia, Canada and England  6. Conclusion: The Politics of Teacher Professl³&